Category Archives: WPTF News

Tar Heels players embrace new world as part of coach Bill Belichick’s first college team

Tar Heels players embrace new world as part of coach Bill Belichick’s first college team

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s football players are working in a new world since the arrival of NFL coaching great Bill Belichick to take over the Tar Heels program. Belichick won six Super Bowls as coach of the New England Patriots. UNC receiver Jordan Shipp described his first reaction to Belichick’s hiring as realizing the man he called the “greatest coach of all time” was about to be his coach. Shipp and defensive back Will Hardy said Belichick’s sense of humor caught them off guard amid his all-business demeanor.… Continue Reading

Southern Baptist delegates at national meeting overwhelmingly call for banning same-sex marriage

Southern Baptist delegates at national meeting overwhelmingly call for banning same-sex marriage

DALLAS (AP) — Southern Baptist delegates at their national meeting overwhelmingly endorsed banning same-sex marriage — including a call for a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 10-year-old precedent legalizing it nationwide. They also called for legislators to curtail sports betting and to support policies that promote childbearing. The votes came at the gathering of more than 10,000 church representatives at the annual meeting of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. A proposed resolution says legislators have a duty to “pass laws that reflect the truth of creation and natural law — about marriage, sex, human life, and family” and to oppose laws contradicting “what God has made plain through nature and Scripture.”… Continue Reading

Bills sign former Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson, coming off 2 injury-shortened seasons

Bills sign former Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson, coming off 2 injury-shortened seasons

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills signed Shaq Thompson to a one-year contract in providing the veteran linebacker an opportunity to continue his career after two injury-shortened seasons. Thompson was not re-signed by Carolina in March after spending his first 10 seasons with the Panthers. He joins the Bills, where he’s reunited with coach Sean McDermott, who was Carolina’s defensive coordinator during Thompson’s first two seasons with the team. Thompson was a first-round draft pick in 2015 and a starter in Carolina from his rookie season, before being slowed by injuries. He appeared in just six games over the past two years after breaking his ankle in 2023 and then tearing his Achilles tendon the following year.… Continue Reading

Trump says he will ‘liberate’ Los Angeles in speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the Army

Trump says he will ‘liberate’ Los Angeles in speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the Army

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump called protesters in Los Angeles “animals” and “a foreign enemy” in a speech at Fort Bragg as he defended deploying the military on those protesting his immigration enforcement. Trump on Tuesday used a speech ostensibly supposed to be used to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army to denounce the protesters in Los Angeles while repeating his false statements about the 2020 election being rigged and attacking the previous commander-in-chief, former President Joe Biden. Trump has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines over the objections of California’s governor.… Continue Reading

Poll shows broad support for vaccines, rising concern over decline in childhood immunizations

Poll shows broad support for vaccines, rising concern over decline in childhood immunizations

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – A new national poll from the Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease reveals strong bipartisan support for FDA-approved vaccines, even as concerns grow over declining childhood immunization rates. Despite lingering mistrust fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, most Americans still trust their personal healthcare providers and back continued vaccine development. Experts like Candace DeMatteis say states like North Carolina play a key role in medical innovation—and maintaining public trust and access is essential to protecting public health.
… Continue Reading

Invasive Alabama bass threaten native fish and tournaments across North Carolina

Invasive Alabama bass threaten native fish and tournaments across North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — North Carolina wildlife officials are sounding the alarm about the rapid spread of Alabama bass, an invasive species now disrupting ecosystems and bass fishing tournaments across the state. First found near the Georgia border, the fish has since spread from Lake Norman to rivers and reservoirs statewide—often through illegal introductions by anglers. Biologists warn the species poses a serious threat to native largemouth and smallmouth bass populations, with potential economic impacts for competitive sport fishing. The Wildlife Resources Commission is urging the public not to move fish between lakes and to report sightings as they work to slow the invasion.… Continue Reading

Disney to pay almost $439 million to take full control of streaming service Hulu

Disney to pay almost $439 million to take full control of streaming service Hulu

Disney will pay Comcast’s NBCUniversal nearly $439 million for its stake in Hulu, taking full control of the streaming service. Disney said in 2023 that it was acquiring a 33% stake in Hulu from Comcast for at least $8.6 billion. That amount reflected Hulu’s guaranteed floor value of $27.5 billion, according to a regulatory filing. Disney said in the filing on Monday that its appraiser arrived at a valuation below the guaranteed floor value during the initial phase of the appraisal process, while NBCUniversal’s appraiser arrived at a valuation substantially in excess of the guaranteed floor value. A third appraiser was brought in and concluded that The Walt Disney Co. will pay $438.7 million for the Hulu stake.… Continue Reading

North Carolina auto insurance rates are going up 5% on average in settlement

North Carolina auto insurance rates are going up 5% on average in settlement

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina automobile insurance rates are poised to increase statewide this fall by a 5% average as part of an agreement reached between state regulators and the insurance industry. The settlement announced Monday by Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey is lower than the average 22.6% rate increase for private passenger vehicles originally requested by the North Carolina Rate Bureau. A September public hearing on the request would have been held in September without the settlement. The changes take place Oct. 1 and includes an average 16.3% decrease on motorcycle liability insurance rates.… Continue Reading

Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni’s $400M lawsuit against ‘It Ends With Us’ costar Blake Lively

Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni’s $400M lawsuit against ‘It Ends With Us’ costar Blake Lively

A judge has dismissed the lawsuit that Justin Baldoni filed against his “It Ends With Us” costar Blake Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment. The ruling is the latest development in the bitter legal battle surrounding the film. Lively sued Baldoni in late December. Baldoni then sued Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion. The judge ruled that Baldoni can’t sue Lively for defamation over claims she made in her lawsuit, because allegations made in court are exempt from libel claims. And the judge ruled that Baldoni’s claims that Lively stole creative control of the film didn’t count as extortion under California law. Baldoni’s lawyers say they will amend the lawsuit.… Continue Reading

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